Across America, Hurricane Mostyn spending millions in 2014 election cycle

HOUSTON (Legal Newsline) – Just as he’s done in previous years, plaintiffs attorney Steve Mostyn has spent millions this election cycle in races all across the country.

And the Texas mega-donor doesn’t stop at funding individual candidates.

In fact, the Houston trial lawyer’s firm, the Mostyn Law Firm, made the top 20 list of organizations funding outside spending groups in the 2013-2014 election cycle.

Ranking No. 19, Mostyn’s firm has shelled out $1,142,500 to outside liberal groups so far, sandwiching the firm between the American Federation of Teachers at No. 18 and the Operating Engineers Union at No. 20, according to opensecrets.org.

On the federal level, no firm has donated more overall, $2.1 million, in 2013-2104 than the Mostyn Law Firm. In the law community as a whole, only the American Association for Justice - a national trial lawyers group - has spent more, $2.9 million.

Deemed “Hurricane Mostyn” by The Washington Free Beacon in 2012, the trial lawyer made hundreds of millions in attorneys fees in the wake of Hurricane Ike by filing thousands of lawsuits against the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association – the lone provider of windstorm insurance for Texas gulf coast residents.

In his home state, Mostyn has used the money he’s reaped from hurricane suits to fund Texas Democrats, throwing the bulk of his cash, more than $3 million so far, behind state Sen. Wendy Davis, a Fort Worth trial lawyer with gubernatorial aspirations.

However, Texas’ expansive borders don’t confine Mostyn’s spending to gubernatorial races within the state.

Campaign finance reports show Mostyn has contributed more than $700,000 to the campaign of Charlie Crist, the Democratic candidate for governor of Florida – a Gulf Coast state prone to hurricane strikes, just like Texas.

However, Mostyn’s personal reasons for funding the former Sunshine State Republican governor remain a matter of speculation, as the trial lawyer refuses to comment on any article written by Legal Newsline.

Mostyn’s political reach in state races literally stretches from coast-to-coast.

In California, Mostyn has supplied Attorney General Kamala Harris, a rising star in the Democratic Party, with $13,600 in contributions, campaign finance records show.

Harris is expected to win her re-election bid handedly and was speculated to be a possible replacement for U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

Mostyn and his firm do more than give directly to candidates.

The Houston attorney is also the treasurer of former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords’ super PAC, Americans for Responsible Solutions, which is sustained financially in part by Mostyn with $750,000 in donations this election cycle, according to opensecrets.org.

So far, the PAC has spent nearly $1.5 million to stop two candidates from reaching Congress, expending $927,621 against GOP House candidate and retired Air Force combat pilot Martha McSally in Arizona and $507,000 against Marilinda Garcia, a GOP House hopeful from New Hampshire.

Some of the other 2014 Congressional races targeted by the PAC include spending $160,898 to support the re-election of Sen. Al Franken in Minnesota and $373,572 to support the re-election of Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.

Super PACs can raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions and individuals. However, they are prohibited from coordinating directly with parties or candidates.

Reach David Yates at elections@legalnewsline.com